Dispensing apparatus for pliable sheet form material in stacked relation

ABSTRACT

A dispenser for cyclically dispensing sheet material arrayed in stacked relation within the dispenser onto an assembly line during a packaging operation. The dispenser includes a receptacle having an open end partially spanned by a floor at one side only so that the main portion of the lowermost member of the stack is generally unsupported and tends to cantilever or bow downwardly of its own weight. Gripper fingers are provided embracing the sides of the stack to hold the unsupported end of the stack. Adjustment means are provided to vary the tension with which the unsupported end of the stack is restrained from withdrawal from the dispenser.

United States Patent [72] Inventor Peter R. Tripodi Miami, Fla.

[21] AppLNo. 31,119

[22] Filed Apr. 23, 1970 [45] Patented Oct. 19, 1971 [73] Assignee Liggett & Myers Incorporated New York, N.Y.

[54] DISPENSING APPARATUS FOR PLIABLE SHEET FORM MATERIAL IN STACKED RELATION FOREIGN PATENTS 71,659 4/1893 Gennany ABSTRACT: A dispenser for cyclically dispensing sheet material arrayed in stacked relation within the dispenser onto an assembly line during a packaging operation. The dispenser includes a receptacle having an open end partially spanned by a floor at one side only so that the main portion of the lowermost member of the stack is generally unsupported and tends to cantilever or bow downwardly of its own weight. Gripper fingers are provided embracing the sides of the stack to hold the unsupported end of the stack. Adjustment means are provided to vary the tension with which the unsupported end of the stack is restrained from withdrawal from the dispenser.

J ta fill" 1 DISPENSING APPARATUS FOR PLIABLESIIEET FORM MATERIAL IN STACKED RELATION This invention relates to a dispensing apparatus for use in applying planar materials, such as coupons or coupon-size folders onto cigarette packages moving beneath it in an assembly line for packaging the cigarettes. It includes a receptacle for a stack of the materials, whether in single-sheet form or folded. The receptacle includes an opening for charging the stack into the interior chamber of the receptacle and an open lower end which is partially spanned by a floor to support one side of the stack only with the opposite side of the stack being generally unsupported and bowed downwardly so that the lowermost member in the stack is adapted for being entrained by one of the passing packages on the assembly line. Means are provided to yieldingly support the generally unsupported side of the stack opposite to the support floor and provide adjustment means to vary the force required to withdraw the lowermost member of the stack from the receptacle and to vary its bowed orientation and normal attitude. The means to support the stack in addition to the floor are an improved means and are described more fully hereinafter.

It is, accordingly, an object of this invention to provide an improved dispensing apparatus for pliable members to be dispensed serially, one onto each of the packages moving beneath the dispenser in an assembly line operation packaging articles, such as cigarettes. The dispenser includes an improved adjustment means to vary the force with which the members to be applied are held within the receptacle and to exteriorly adjust this tension without undue interference with the assembly line operation.

It is another object of this invention to provide an improved dispensing apparatus for use in an assembly line operation which is simple to adjust, inexpensive to manufacture and otherwise well adapted for the purposes for which it is intended and which are set forth more fully hereinafter.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a dispenser constructed in accordance with this invention;

FIG. 2 is a view in cross section taken on the plane indicated by the line 2-2 of FIG. 1 and looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 3 is a view in cross section taken on the plane indicated by the line 3--3 of FIG. 2 and looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 4 is a view in cross section taken on the plane indicated by the line 4-4 of FIG. 3 and looking in the direction of the arrows; and

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the lowermost members of a stack adapted to be received within the receptacle.

Referring to the drawings wherein like reference characters designate like or corresponding parts throughout the several views and referring particularly to FIG. 1, the numeral 12 generally represents a dispenser to be supported medially over the centerline of an assembly line and above a withdrawing mechanism, such as a suction device, as will be explained, generally, in describing the operation hereinafter, but which is not part of this invention. The dispenser is for dispensing sheets or folders from a stack and includes a receptacle 14 having a column 16 with an opening for charging the stack into the interior of the receptacle and an open lower end with a partial floor means 34 spaced from the open end to support one portion of the stack with the lowermost sheet being generally bowed downwardly of its own weight and unsupported beneath the open end and opposite the terminal end of the partial floor. The feed or lower end of the receptacle is provided with a throat section having guide means and at the lowermost end of the throat, with gripper means to hold the opposite sides of the stack between the supported and the unsupported ends. The improvement in the receptacle is in the improved gripper means, which comprise a pair of opposite vertically aligned fingers 43 and 44, as will be described more fully hereinafter, one on each side of the stack extending out of the end of the receptacle and toward the partial floor, the fingers defining the dispensing throat. Means are provided to adjust the dimension of the throat between the extending end of the fingers and the adjustment means are operable by an operator accessible exteriorly of the receptacle.

Referring more in detail to the dispenser, the receptacle 14 defines an interior chamber 16 sized to receive a stack of aligned sheets or folders to be dispensed, one by one, onto a surface below it. In the preferred embodiment of the receptacle, it is tubular including front and rear walls 18 and 20 which confront the leading and trailing edge of the stack to be dispensed and opposing sidewall means '22 and 24. The upper end 26 of the receptacle, which may be capped, not shown, is

provided with an access mouth or opening 28 for inserting a stack 30 of aligned sheets or folders into the chamber 16, which is preferably rectangular as seen in plan, see FIG. 4. The

lower end 32 of the receptacle is open and is provided with a partial floor 34 which extends outwardly from an extension 35 of the rear wall 20 a relatively short distance and in spaced relation below the lower terminal and sidewall means, so that the leading edge of the lowermost folder 36 is unsupported in the area beneath the front portion of the receptacle. Hereinafter, the edge 36 is referred to as the leading edge of the dispensed material, be it a sheet or a folder, in contradistinction to the trailing edge 38 supported on the partial floor 34. The leading edge, trailing edge designation is because the machine as seen in FIG. 3 is in the position or attitude it would be if the assembly line were moving from right to left beneath it.

In the preferred embodiment, the partial floor extends less than one-third of the distance between the rear and front walls of the receptacle, and preferably less as shown so that the leading edge 36 will tend to substantially flex downwardlybelow the plane of the partial floor. The structure described above of the receptacle and the use of a gripper or holder means for the free end of the stack is old in the art apart from the improved holding and guide means which comprises oppositely arranged gripper means 40 and 41, see FIG. 4, which are carried respectively on the sidewalls 24 and 22 and are adjustable to vary the throat passage and guide the lowermost member of the stack, as will now be explained.

Referring to the throat portion 42 of the receptacle, that portion between the gripper means or gripper fingers, the span of the throat is determined by the dimension between the confronting surfaces of the gripper mechanisms 40 and 41 within the receptacle, as will be explained. Each of the gripper mechanisms includes a vertical strip or finger 43 and 44, the latter being a reference finger, as will be explained. The fingers are each slidably captivated within a companionately sized vertical groove 45 and 46 in the inner surfaces 47 and 48 respectively of the sidewalls 22 and 24 with the lower or free ends 49 and 50 being at about the plane of the partial floor, and preferably adjustable vertically to raise or lower the same with respect to that plane.

The vertical adjustment means for the reference finger comprises an upper and a lower headed pin-and-slot arrangement. Referring to the right-hand side of FIG. 2 for convenience, a pair of vertically aligned elongate slots 52 and 54, an upper slot and a lower slot, are provided in the trailing edge portion or rearward side portion of the sidewall 24-with the major axis of the slots being generally colinear. The strip or finger 44 is provided with a pair of tapped holes 56 and 58 spaced from one another the same distance as the slots, which holes receive respectively threaded headed screws 60 and 62, so that by loosening the screws, the end of the reference finger may be extended and then tightened into the most satisfactory location. The length of the shank of the screws is such that, when tightened into place with the undersurface of the screw heads tightened against the marginal edges of the slots, it-securely holds the finger in the selective vertical location -with the inner surface 61 of the finger tracing a smooth continuous curve or plane surface.

With continuing reference to the gripper mechanism, the opposite gripper finger 43 is secured in its vertically aligned slot 45 and vertically adjustable by means of a somewhat end face 32 of the front wall similar vertical adjustment means which includes a single vertically aligned elongate slot 63 in the sidewall 22, as seen in FIG. 2, which includes a headed screw 64 with a shank of a length which is adapted to secure the finger 43 in any vertical position, within the range of movement indicated, by tightening it against the margins of the slot in the sidewall 22 and without interference with the smooth continuous surface 66 of the finger 43 in the throat area of the dispenser.

Additionally, the movable gripper finger 43, which is preferably of a strip of spring steel, comprising a leaf spring, is provided with a means to adjust the lateral span of the throat, as will now be described. Referring to the lower left-hand portion of FIG. 2, it is seen that a headed screw 68 is provided in a tapped hole 70 completely through the sidewall 22 beneath the vertical adjustment means for this finger previously described and above the end 32 of the sidewall so that, as the screw is advanced, the distal end 72 of the shank bears against the finger and inwardly moves the surface 74 of the finger toward the opposing surface of the opposite finger to adjust the throat span.

in operation, the receptacle is provided with a stack of folders or sheets to be dispensed, the dispenser being arranged at a suitable location over an assembly line and particularly a withdrawal mechanism of the cyclically operable suction or blower-type member which is adapted to deflect the leading unsupported end of the lowermost member of the stack downwardly onto the confronting surface of a passing unit, which may be provided with suitable means such as an adhesive, and by its continuous movement withdraws the lowermost member of the stack from the receptacle. Because of variations in size of the members of the stack because of their particular production run or any of several various factors, it is necessary from time to time to adjust the tension with which the members of the stack are held by the dispenser in opposition to the entrainment forces of application described, and without varying the disposition of the stack above the assembly line from a predetermined location. Thus, the reference finger or gripper 44 is in the preferred embodiment nonmovable laterally with respect to the span of the throat and, consequently, the article passing on the subjacent assembly line. The adjustable or movable finger 43, on the other hand, is adjustable to vary the span of the throat and consequently the frictional forces holding the lowermost members of the stack. The adjustment may be varied and operated exteriorly of the receptacle by simply manipulating the head of the screw 68. Also, the adjustable fingers may be extended as required in the manner described above to control the distance between the confronting surface of the assembly line and the leading edge of the lowermost member to be applied.

It is thus seen that there has been described an improved dispenser means for applying pliable sheet material to the surface of a passing unit in an assembly line operation, such as the application of coupons or folders to a cigarette package prior to the wrapping of it by a cellophane wrapping machine.

What is claimed is:

1. For use in an assembly line packaging operation, an improved dispenser for a stack of pliable nonnally planar members ofthe type which comprises:

a. an elongate receptacle having a chamber sized to receive the stack and having an opening for charging the stack into the chamber and said receptacle having an open lower end,

b. a partial floor means spaced from the lower end to support one portion of the stack with the lowermost member of the stack being unsupported beneath the open end and opposite the terminal end of the partial floor, and

c. gripper means to hold the opposite sides of the stack, said gripper means being adjacent the partial floor,

the improvement of the gripper means which comprises and wherein,

l. the gripper means comprises a pair of opposite vertical fingers extending into the receptacle, one on each side of the stack in o position to one another and adjacent the terminal end 0 the partial floor and defining the span of a smooth surfaced dispensing throat, and

2. means to adjust the span of the throat between the fingers at the lower end of the receptacle including an operator accessible exteriorly of the receptacle,

whereby force may be selectively applied through the fingers to the stack along the unsupported side portion thereof.

2. The improvement as set forth in claim 1 wherein the means to adjust includes mechanism for vertically moving the fingers relative to the open end of the receptacle.

3. The improvement as set forth in claim 2 wherein the mechanism includes an elongate vertical slot in the opposite sidewalls of the receptacle and in opposition to one another and headed screw means extending through the slot and into the associated finger to hold the finger into a predetermined position with respect to the sidewalls of the receptacle.

4. The improvement as set forth in claim I wherein the means to adjust comprises a reference finger to abut one side of the stack secured in the receptacle and a movable finger on the opposite side of the stack secured at a location above the lower end of the receptacle.

5. The improvement as set forth in claim 4 wherein the movable finger is a flexible leaf spring and the means to adjust includes a member secured on the receptacle with one end extending into the chamber to bear against the movable finger intermediate the extending end of the finger and said location and adapted to be manipulated exteriorly to advance or withdraw the member bearing against the movable finger to vary the span of the throat.

6. The improvement as set forth in claim 1 wherein each of the fingers is nexted in a groove in the receptacle extending depthwise from the lower end generally away from the partial floor. 

1. For use in an assembly line packaging operation, an improved dispenser for a stack of pliable normally planar members of the type which comprises: a. an elongate receptacle having a chamber sized to receive the stack and having an opening for charging the stack into the chamber and said receptacle having an open lower end, b. a partial floor means spaced from the lower end to support one portion of the stack with the lowermost member of the stack being unsupported beneath the open end and opposite the terminal end of the partial floor, and c. gripper means to hold the opposite sides of the stack, said gripper means being adjacent the partial floor, the improvement of the gripper means which comprises and wherein,
 1. the gripper means comprises a pair of opposite vertical fingers extending into the receptacle, one on each side of the stack in opposition to one another and adjacent the terminal end of the partial floor and defining the span of a smooth surfaced dispensing throat, and
 2. means to adjust the span of the throat between the fingers at the lower end of the receptacle including an operator accessible exteriorly of the receptacle, whereby force may be selectively applied through the fingers to the stack along the unsupported side portion thereof.
 2. means to adjust the span of the throat between the fingers at the lower end of the receptacle including an operator accessible exteriorly of the receptacle, whereby force may be selectively applied through the fingers to the stack along the unsupported side portion thereof.
 2. The improvement as set forth in claim 1 wherein the means to adjust includes mechanism for vertically moving the fingers relative to the open end of the receptacle.
 3. The improvement as set forth in claim 2 wherein the mechanism includes an elongate vertical slot in the opposite sidewalls of the receptacle and in opposition to one another and headed screw means extending through the slot and into the associated finger to hold the finger into a predetermined position with respect to the sidewalls of the receptacle.
 4. The improvement as set forth in claim 1 wherein the means to adjust comprises a reference finger to abut one side of the stack secured in the receptacle and a movable finger on the opposite side of the stack secured at a location above the lower end of the receptacle.
 5. The improvement as set forth in claim 4 wherein the movable finger is a flexible leaf spring and the means to adjust includes a member secured on the receptacle with one end extending into the chamber to bear against the movable finger intermediate the extending end of the finger and said location and adapted to be manipulated exteriorly to advance or withdraw the member bearing against the movable finger to vary the span of the throat.
 6. The improvement as set forth in claim 1 wherein each of the fingers is nexted in a groove in the receptacle extending depthwise from the lower end generally away from the partial floor. 